The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-04
A SUBJECT OF INTEREST.
The Facts about Mississippi Agricul-
tural College Put in a Nutshell.
Rer. DR.. G,fer, IN 4. r. Presbyterian.

Rer. DR.. Grier, IN 4. r. Presbyterian.
My visit had to do mainly with
this institution. 1t is attracting an
unusual amount ofattentior just now
in South Carolina ard other South
ern States. This and ali other agri-
cultural colleges in the South are the
creation of the general government,
not directly, but indirectly. The
proceeds of certain government lands
were appropriated to the endowment
of colleges in the respective States,
in which institutions agriculture
should be mainly taught. 1t has
been a serious question in the minds
of many thoughtful persons, whether
an institution devoted to this one in
terest of agriculture could succeed.
All the experiments of union of the
literary and the agricultural have
proven comparative failures, and
many were ready to say that an ag
ricultural school is a humbug. 1t
was in the face of such doubts that
the college at Starkville was estab-
lishei. The first step was to sepa-
rate it entirely from the State Uni
versity, at Oxford-having different
faculty, a different board Of trustees
and q different location. The COL
lege has now been in operation for
seven years. The attendance has
steadily grown, until, for the past
two years. the faculty have been CON-
PEELED to reject large number of ap.
plicants, the rejcctions amounting
last year to 2l5. The patrons of the
college are the farmers of the State.
1t has cost the State, all told, about
$4,000. This covers the cost Of
the farm, buildings, and the annual
appropriations. The farm consists
of 2,200 acres. Wien it was pur-
chased much of it was regarded as
poor land. Now, the entire place is
in excellent condition. We were
shown field which had been thrown
out, at the time of the purchase, as
worthless. Some parts of that field
will produce this year, it is thought,
fifty bushels Of corn to the acre.
This restoration has been without
the use of commercial fertilizers.
The buildings are large, tasteful, and
substantially built Of brick. Nearly
all the students board in the college
buildings at a cost of $40 per
month. The maximum expenditure
for each student is put at 500. This
includes everything. The work OF
the farm is done by the students.
They are required to work three
hours a day. If they work longer
than that they are paid extra for it.
In this way many of the students
pay, in part, their expenses. The
president stated that the actual cost
to some of the young men the past
year was not more than $50, because
of extra labor lerformed..
The crops grown on the farm are
corn, peas, oats and grasses. There
is no cotton planted, if We remember
correctly. Much attention is paid to
the grasses and dairying. The herd
of cattle numbers 276, most of them
Holsteins. The butter product of so
large herd is quite remunerative.
The creamery of the college is
the first ever built in the Gulf
States and has worked a revolution in
dairy husbandry. There are now, we
think, six creameries in the State of
Mississippi, all Of them the offspring
of the agricultural college.
Gen. S. D. Lee, the president, is
the ruling spirit of the institutions
fine Christian gentleman. His whole
heart is in his work and he is Justly
proud of the success Of the college.
So far as We could judge, and We
were careful to inquire into the work,
ings of the college, it is doing just
what it proposes to do-to give 8
thorough and practical training in
agriculture.